Friends, not foes: South Korean youths drive shift in attitude toward Japan
Kim Kyung-Wook, 40, was on his way to becoming a has-been comedian when he met or rather became "Tanaka", a Japanese bar host character from the early 2000s.
Sporting a retro wolf haircut and loud, printed shirts, Tanaka belts out old Japanese songs and posts "mukbang" (online eating videos) where he devours Korean snacks. His South Korean tour this year has drawn more than 20,000 fans since late January with many concerts being sold out within minutes.
Kim/Tanaka is not only one of South Korea's hottest YouTube stars with more than 800,000 subscribers but he's also encouraging a growing number of young South Koreans drawn to Japanese products and culture to see their neighbour more as a friend than a foe that colonised the country 70 years ago.
"I think, for young people, it's not about why, but just the fact they like something," says Kim, who became fascinated by Japanese culture as a teenager and wanted to impart to his alter ego Tanaka a style missing from Korean culture.
A January poll by Hankook Research showed Japan's likeability score among Koreans was the highest since 2018, with those aged 29 or younger the most favourable of all. Experts think that young people recognise the benefit of aligning with other like-minded democracies and are hence less antagonistic towards Japan than previous generations.
So it is little wonder why Kim’s popularity has leapt although his collaborations with K-pop stars like Taeyang of BIGBANG, have no doubt given him a boost as well.
"There was a social atmosphere that sort of encourages boycotting (Japanese culture), so people were reluctant to talk about (Japan). However, after Tanaka's debut on YouTube, the atmosphere is more relaxed," said fan Jeong Se-ah, 24, as she stood in front of Tanaka’s concert venue in Suwon.
But today's fervour for Tanaka is very different from the response to his 2018 debut. Then, with spats over their shared wartime history flaring between Seoul and Tokyo, Tanaka was hardly popular.
Relations had plunged to their lowest in decades after rows over the neighbours' history spilt over into trade disputes in 2019, casting over US-led efforts to counter North Korea's growing military threat.
Now, such quarrels are being left behind as the enthusiasm of young Koreans fuels a sharp rebound in demand for Japanese consumer products. Last month's launch of a canned beer by Japanese beverage giant Asahi Group Holdings Ltd which is said to better replicate the experience of the draft variety, had people queueing to try the drink.
Son In-seok, 39, visited one convenience store after another to hunt down the brew.
"This (beer) went viral (on social media), so I bought it. I think people's perceptions (of Japan) have improved a lot recently," said Son.
South Korean imports of Japanese beer and whisky surged nearly 250% and 300% respectively in the first quarter from the figures of 2020, while inbound garment shipments jumped almost 47%. That compared with a 90% drop in imports of Japanese beer in 2019 when it became the early target of a sweeping boycott of the country's goods amid the intensifying feuds.
Some Korean victims of Japanese military brothels and forced labour during its colonial rule from 1910 to 1945 are still demanding an apology and compensation from Tokyo. But officials say changing attitudes emboldened President Yoon Suk Yeol to risk political backlash with a March offer of compensation for such victims with funds from Korean corporates, rather than Japanese firms, as Seoul's courts had ordered.
“They must apologise and provide compensation by thoroughly examining the comfort women issue. Who ran military brothels? Japan did,” says former "comfort woman", Lee Yong-Soo, 94.
Reuters
